The invention relates to mobile communication systems, and particularly to a method of implementing the billing of short messages in a mobile communication system. The method comprises steps in which a message is submitted to a short message service centre to be delivered to a subscriber; the message is delivered from the short message service centre to the subscriber""s mobile station via the mobile communication system, and at least one charge record is created per each transferred short message.
In addition to normal speech and data connections set up on traffic channels in digital mobile communication systems, short digital data messages, short messages, transferred on the control and signalling channels of the systems, may be sent amid actual signalling. These messages are generally called short messages. A short message service centre is added in association with the mobile communication system for implementing short messages. In connection with a mobile originated short message, a subscriber creates the short message by means of the keyboard of a terminal, and the terminal submits the short message on a signalling channel via a base station and a mobile switching centre to the short message service centre. The short message service centre relays the short message to another network, or on signalling channels via the mobile communication network to the terminal of another subscriber, or to another destination.
Services offered to subscribers via short messages also increase constantly. Several in e.g. voice and text mode delivered services may be offered to subscribers along with short messages. In addition to normal mobile terminating (MT) and mobile originated (MO) short messages, a subscriber may receive e.g. notices, ads, personal reminders, and may order information on sources offering these to his/her mobile station.
Up to now the sender of a message has been billed for short messages by the same unit tariff essentially on the basis of sender and receiver information included in the message. With the services associated with short messages becoming more developed, this method is, however, becoming insufficient.
To be able to provide services, a service provider has to charge a reasonable price for the services, and similarly, a subscriber to a service has to be prepared to pay for each service a price proportional to its value. In order for the production and use of services to be rational, the price of the service has to be at the right level as to both functions. It is evident that the price to be billed for e.g. stock exchange rates and analyses made on the basis thereof has to be higher than that of a usual mobile originated mobile terminating short message, and that a subscriber using said service is also prepared to pay a reasonable price for the information. In order to be able to provide and use different services in a sensible way, the billing of short messages has to be diversified correspondingly.
A proposal for solving the matter is service provider-specific billing, whereby the subscriber is always billed according to a predetermined tariff for short messages transmitted from a source address providing services. This, however, limits one destination address to one equivalent service, limiting significantly the prospects of service providers. If e.g. the same media house provides both far processed stock exchange information and simple weather reports, a billing system based merely on the address of the service provider is not appropriate.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and easily implemented way to bill services implemented by means of short messages in accordance with the value of the offered service. The aims of the invention are achieved by a method according to the independent claim 1, characterized in that an advice of charge is included in a short message for directly or indirectly indicating the price to be billed for reception of the short message, and the object of the billing; and said advice of charge or an actual advice of charge defined on the basis thereof is. included in a charge record created on the basis of the short message.
The invention also relates to a short message service centre to be linked to a mobile communication system according to claim 6, the centre relaying a submitted message to a subscriber""s mobile station via the mobile communication system. The short message service centre is characterized in that it is arranged to include in a charge record created on the basis of the short message an advice of charge indicating the price to be billed for the reception of the short message, and the object of the billing.
The invention also relates to a short message service centre to be linked to a mobile communication system according to claim 7, the centre relaying a submitted message to the mobile station of a subscriber via the mobile communication system and creating at least one charge record on the basis of the short message. The short message service centre is characterized in that it is arranged to include in a charge record created on the basis of the short message an advice of charge indicating the price to be billed for the reception of the short message, and the object of the billing.
The invention also relates to a short message gateway MSC of a mobile communication system according to claim 8, the MSC relaying a short message sent by a short message service centre to a mobile station and creating at least one charge record on the basis of the short message. The short message gateway MSC is characterized in that it is arranged to include in a charge record created on the basis of the short message an advice of charge indicating the price to be billed for the reception of the short message, and the object of the billing.
The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The invention is based on the idea that information on the billing value of a short message is transferred to the unit creating the charge records included in a short message. The information can be directly tariff data. The data preferably indicates the tariff class on the basis of which the unit creating the charge records can determine the right tariff. Said unit creating the charge records of the short messages comprises a functionality by which it transfers the tariff into the charge record which is normally sent onwards to the unit responsible for billing.
It is an advantage of the solution of the invention that short message billing can be directed message-specifically to different payers and specified so as to correspond to the value to be determined on the basis of the contents of the short message. The present method can be easily implemented and does not cause significant changes in existent systems.